Saturday, October 26, 2013

Villeneuve Lez Avignon

Today is our last full day in Provence, so we tried to keep things simple. Bill suggested we try out a restaurant in Place St. Pierre. It was a little difficult to find, but I'm glad we made the effort. It was in a very pretty location, a tiny cobblestoned plaza in front of the church. Bill had an appetizer of grilled sardines which came with salad.

His main course was lamb tagine, while I had duck breast in a fruit sauce. I also got potatoes au gratin and ratatouille with my dish.

We shared a chocolate moelleux (liquid center chocolate cake) which came with a salted caramel sauce. During the meal we could hear the organ playing in the church, and near the end of the meal people began gathering for a wedding.

Here's a photo of the altar boys and priest getting ready to proceed into the church. We waited around to see the bride and then got on with the rest of our day.

We took a bus to Villeneuve lez Avignon which is just across the river from Avignon. I climbed the Philippe le Bel Tower and we took a look at an old church, a monastery, and a fort. We also saw a spot above the town where the hermit Pierre Crouzet-Lacombe had lived and dug his own grave. Unfortunately his wishes were not honored and he was buried in the town cemetery. I can't remember when this happened and can't find the information on the Internet. Needless to say, it was a long time ago.

I'd had low expectations of this town, but found it much more interesting and charming than expected. It's much quieter and calmer than Avignon. It's hilly though, and a demanding place to walk in. Here's a photo of a fountain I found while we were climbing the street up to the fort.